Psalm 103 AMPC

Psalm 103 [A Psalm] of David

"Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [deepest] within me, bless His holy name! Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits—

Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals [each one of] all your diseases, Who redeems your life from the pit and corruption, Who beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy; Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle’s [strong, overcoming, soaring]!

The Lord executes righteousness and justice [not for me only, but] for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways [of righteousness and justice] to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy and loving-kindness. He will not always chide or be contending, neither will He keep His anger forever or hold a grudge. 

He has not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great are His mercy and loving-kindness toward those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

As a father loves and pities his children, so the Lord loves and pities those who fear Him [with reverence, worship, and awe]. For He knows our frame, He [earnestly] remembers and imprints [on His heart] that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it and it is gone, and its place shall know it no more.

But the mercy and loving-kindness of the Lord are from everlasting to everlasting upon those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, and His righteousness is to children’s children—To such as keep His covenant [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it] and to those who [earnestly] remember His commandments to do them [imprinting them on their hearts].

The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all. Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His commandments, hearkening to the voice of His word. Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, all you His hosts, you His ministers who do His pleasure. Bless the Lord, all His works in all places of His dominion; bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul!"

Come a Little Closer

James 4:8 tells us "Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery]."

Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise [and be against] the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in].

Isaiah 55:6-7 teaches us to "Seek [inquire for, and require] the Lord while He may be found [claiming Him by necessity and by right]; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have love, pity, and mercy for him, and to our God, for He will multiply to him His abundant pardon."

God tells us in 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and I will forgive their sins and heal their land."

It's when we humble our selves before God with repentant hearts and seek His face in the beauty of holiness that Holy Spirit begins the work needed within each of us to transform us from one glory to another; lifting us higher and higher into a mightier form of praise and worship for His glory sake; and with this new form of Godliness we become God minded enough to truly love our brother as God loves us.

As we turn from our wicked ways and seek God's face and begin to Love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind (Matthew 22:37) we realize there is no better way to express His Love than to share Him with those we encounter along our way in word and in deed; And the more we know Him, the more we Love Him and seek to encourage others through the Hope that is found in Christ Jesus.

May you find His amazing inner joy and peace as you seek Him with all your heart and enjoy a wonderfully blessed day because God loves you and so do I~~

Precious Peace

"When peace like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul. It is well with my soul, It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul. It is well (it is well), With my soul (with my soul), It is well, it is well with my soul.

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought; My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, oh my soul. It is well (it is well) with my soul (with my soul); It is well, it is well with my soul.

And Lord haste the day when my faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul. It is well (it is well) with my soul (with my soul), It is well, it is well with my soul."

How I love this precious song, and the assurance it holds for me and those precious loved ones gone before us as well. What wonderful peace washes over my soul as I lay my head to rest, knowing God has us all safely secured in His protective hands.

Every thought, every tear, every fear, every need; all covered and protected under the completed works of Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior! No greater peace can ever be found, no greater source ever needed, than in the hands of our loving God and His righteousness.

Thank you all for your prayers that allow me and these precious families to draw peace in times of need. It's so heartwarming to feel the love and prayerful support of precious friends! I pray that as you go through this day, God blesses you with His peace and keeps you safely secured in His loving arms as well. God loves you and so do I~~~

Pressing On

God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change; Courage to change the things we can and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking,as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is; not as we would have it. Trusting that He will make all things right if we surrender to His Will So we may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next, Amen
We pray the Serenity Prayer at the close of every Celebrate Recovery service where lives are being Redeemed, Renewed, Refreshed, Restored, Healed, Delivered and Set Free through Christ Jesus and to Him we give ALL glory, honor and praise!  Learning there are things in life we cannot change while others we can, is a matter of fact we have to accept, and acquiring wisdom helps us know the difference as Holy Spirit gives courage to do what is needed in both.
As we grow in grace we will face obstacles like anyone else, but as we learn to press in and press on toward the higher calling in Christ Jesus, we know our answer is on it's way if we don't give up; so we press on with confidence knowing that He who began the work in us will surely complete it to the day of Christ Jesus. We press on knowing that Victory is ours and because He lives; we shall live with Him forevermore. Amen!

So in our daily struggles we will not be discouraged but remain steadfast, refusing to give up! "Weeping may endure for the moment, but Joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5), Praise God!. We will remain strong through each challenge, through loss of loved ones; through those things we cannot change, and we will stand firm on His Word! We will allow the Word to grow down deep inside us, putting it ever before us; on note cards, post-it notes, even on the door posts, because we know that God is Forever Faithful to honor His Word and hears our faintest cries; so our weeping may endure for a moment but oh the joy that comes in the morning as our Heavenly Father wraps His loving arms around us and ignites His blessings within us; recreating, restoring, reviving, and refreshing us anew! 
God cares more than we could ever realize, so we will trust Him and not be discouraged. Now is not the time to slack off; Now is the time to press on in faith believing!  Soon our wait will be over and sweet victory will be ours; All In God's way, In His will, and in His perfect time!  Press on dear friend, and don't lose hope. Your answer is just around the corner!  Enjoy a wonderfully blessed day, dear friend, God loves you and so do I~~~

Destined For Grace

A Heart Destined for Grace is a heart following God's will in all things. Jesus tells us in John 16:33, "I have told you these things so that in me, you may have peace. In this world you will have troubles; But take heart; I have overcome the world." Jesus was teaching and equipping His followers, to not become discouraged when situations of this world come against them; but to take heart(do not fear, or let their hearts become troubled) because He had already overcome the world.
He came to prepare the way necessary so we could have His peace in every situation that might arise in our lives. He assures us that in this world we will have troubles, but because He has already conquered ALL things, we are made 'More than conquerors through Him Who dwells within us, (Romans 8:37)! Jesus taught His followers throughout John 14,15,16 chapters that He would not leave us comfortless but would send us a Comforter Who would teach us in all our ways. So learning to take a step back from any given situation and allow time to discuss it with the Lord, allows Him to step in and guide us in whatever we are encountering, victoriously with grace and truth.
Learning to take a much needed step back from situations and talk it over with the Lord, is the beginning of a heart destined for grace; a heart seeking the will of God in all our ways. On a human minded scale, it's easy to jump right in and try to work given situations out on our own, and usually we just make a mess of things and are left feeling awful about the turn out; when the outcome could have been solved much more peaceful, had we taken that step back to communicate with the Lord and waited for Him to guide us in our next move, resulting in a peaceful resolve.
As followers of Christ Jesus, we are destined for a heart of grace; a heart filled with His love and a mind set on things above. Jesus came to bring us a Life filled with Love, with Joy, and with Peace as our minds are set on Him. He came that our hearts be filled with His Amazing Grace enabling us to show forth His divine Love one to another. He came that we would have Peace in all our ways. He came, He overcame, and He surrendered His will to the Father's Will, thereby laying down His life for you and me, so we could be pardoned from ALL our sins and live a Holy Life unto Him, the Author and Finisher of our Faith.
He desires to be our Lord, our Comforter, our Peace, and the Lover of our soul. He desires to shower us with blessings beyond all we could ever imagine and give us the Best Life imaginable through Him. He desires a personal relationship by spending time in His presence. As our personal relationship grows, our ears and our hearts become more receptive to His voice so we can follow His guidance in all our ways. He desires to give us that heart destined for grace if only we take time to hear His voice!
I pray you will take the time to acquire a heart destined for grace so you can truly enjoy a wonderfully blessed day, because God loves you and so do I~~~

Stand Still and See

While meditating on some results today with family and things not going exactly as we had hoped, I was reminded of God's Words in Exodus 14:13-14, Psalm 46:10 and Jeremiah 29:11, where consistently God reminds His people to Stand Still and See the Salvation of the Lord, because He knows the plans He has for us, "plans for good and not for evil. Plans to give us hope and a future" and this precious song my daughter sings came to mind:

"The Father has a plan, though it's hard to see it now; You feel you're walking all alone but He is there no doubt; when the storm around you rages, and you're tossed to and fro; when you're faced with life's decisions, not sure which way to go; Stand still, and let God move; standing still is hard to do; when you feel you have reached the end, He'll make a way for you, stand still and let God move, stand still and let God move.

When the enemy surrounds you and the walls are closing in, when the tide is swiftly rising, and you wonder where He's been; Friend, there never was a moment that His arms weren't reaching out, you can rest assured and be secure, God is moving right now; Stand still and let God move, Standing still is hard to do, When you feel you have reached the end, He'll make a way for you; Stand still and let God move; just stand still and let God move! The answer will come, but only in His time, Stand still and let God move; Stand Still and let God move."

Time and time again, I have proven God to be Forever Faithful! No matter the need or circumstance, as I surrender my will to His, I can always see Him move and have come to know that whatever the need, I know of a surety He has my best interest in mind because He has me engraved in the palm of His hands!

Dear friend, When you go through deep waters, and the waves come crashing in, know that God is forever faithful and He is with you. Just trust Him wholeheartedly as you stand still on His promises and let Him move, and you too will come out victoriously. I pray these words encourage you to not give up, just keep holding on and speaking His Word over your circumstance and He will come through; All in His time, in His way, and in His perfect will so you can enjoy that abundant life He has planned for you. God loves you and so do I~~~

The Greatest Is Love

"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.  And now abide faith, hope, Love, these three; but the greatest of these is Love!"{1 Corinthians 13:11-13}.

Paul reiterates Jesus' teaching to His followers "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this, all will know that you are My disciples; if you have Love for one another."{John 13:34-35}. 
You see it doesn't matter what we say or what we do, unless it is seasoned with Love, none of it matters because God is Love! And in Him there is no darkness; no evil works, no evil thoughts, no high-mindedness, no selfish ways, and no unforgiveness! As we walk in God's Love and Amazing Grace, we become kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ' sake has forgiven us!{Ephesians 4:32}
Because He forgave us, we must forgive also! Because He Loves unconditionally, we must reach out in Love as well. We are no more children, tossed to and fro, so we must put away all those childish attitudes and behaviors and walk in His Love! We must put on the mind of Christ and trust Him with all our heart and lean not unto our own understanding; but in all our ways acknowledge Him and He will direct our path!{Proverbs 3:5-6}. 
I pray as you go through your day, you will feel His Love overshadow you, His peace envelope you, and feel the joy of His presence within you! Enjoy a wonderfully blessed day, dear friend. God Loves You and so do I~~~